State of the Union Address to Air Jan. 27

For President Obama, its out of the frying pan and into the fire. No, we're not talking about health care or the war in Afghanistan, but rather something far more controversial: preempting television for the State of the Union address.

Yes, according to the Hollywood Reporter, the White House has finally decided when to air the annual speech, which details the progress made over the past year and the challenges still facing our nation. And it seems that one of those challenges is figuring out when to schedule the speech; the selected date, Wednesday, January 27, means the show could preempt the country's most popular show, 'American Idol.'

For President Obama, its out of the frying pan and into the fire. No, we're not talking about health care or the war in Afghanistan, but rather something far more controversial: preempting television for the State of the Union address.

Yes, according to the Hollywood Reporter, the White House has finally decided when to air the annual speech, which details the progress made over the past year and the challenges still facing our nation. And it seems that one of those challenges is figuring out when to schedule the speech; the selected date, Wednesday, January 27, means the show could preempt the country's most popular show, 'American Idol.'

This comes in the wake of an earlier controversy that erupted when it was rumored that the State of the Union would take place on February 2nd, which would have disrupted ABC's plans to premiere the much anticipated final season of 'Lost.' But while the White House was quick to stamp out building indignation from Losties by announcing they would not bump Jack and Kate from their appointed slot, now they risk the wrath of Simon Cowell and Fox's legion of reality show fans.

Of course, no matter what evening the President chooses to speak, chances are some group or other will be disappointed. You may recall that last month, conservatives, traditionalists and fans of Charles Schultz became outraged when the White House preempted the annual airing of the holiday classic 'A Charlie Brown Christmas.' Thanks to that bizarre turn of events, the selection of a date for the State of the Union took on a new significance.

So what other shows are in line to be preempted? Well, the networks are still mulling their options, as the 9PM ET air time allows some flexibility. Fox will likely move 'American Idol' to the 8PM slot in order to head off a national emergency, which would mean the odd man out is probably 'Human Target,' which may then move to Tuesday instead; the network may also choose to skip the event altogether, as its done in the past.

Meanwhile, CBS might scrap its entire Wednesday lineup and instead air a tried and tested drama like 'CSI: NY' in the lead-in spot, while ABC will probably keep its popular comedies 'Modern Family' and 'The Middle' on the air. And NBC is expected to stick with its normal early offering, 'Mercy,' which would leave 'Law & Order: SVU' and 'The Jay Leno Show' as the odd men out.